BVB professional wants to create version 2.0
©IMAGO
Niklas Süle has spoken for the first time about the difficult last season for him – with the negative highlight being not being nominated for the European Championship at home. First the central defender lost his regular place at Borussia Dortmund, then from March onwards he was no longer considered by the DFB. “All things for which I take the blame entirely on myself. I did not deserve to be nominated for the European Championship by Julian Nagelsmann. The decision is completely understandable and there is nothing wrong with it,” said the 28-year-old in an interview with “Sport1”.
Süle said his psychological reasons for his drop in performance were: “I just couldn’t manage to do the right things mentally. I couldn’t motivate myself anymore. I wanted to, but I couldn’t. Luckily, I was doing really well in my private life. Everything was and is fine. I had lots of important conversations and got help.”
This team got its defensive power from a team “with people who are absolutely top in their field.” Together with his advisor Volker Struth and his family, they checked carefully “who I need around me. Without these three or four people, my inner circle, I probably wouldn’t have made it.” He has been working with a mental coach for a long time. “His input was worth its weight in gold,” said Süle.
BVB professional on transformation: “Create something like a Niklas Süle 2.0”
The right-footer also worked on his body, and reportedly lost around eight kilos during the summer break. “The chefs who have accompanied me over the last few weeks are top class. I went into this summer break with the aim of creating something like a Niklas Süle 2.0. Now I am in a mental state that I haven’t been in for a long time. I am mentally and physically in a state where I can really attack again,” said Süle confidently, who gave further insights into his last few months.
“It was very hard. Not a single day felt like a holiday, but when I see how I am now, it makes me happy and proud. Football is so much about the mind, you need enormous mental strength. It may have taken me a while to realise this, but now I’m glad I took this path. I’m very happy with how things are right now,” he emphasised, describing last summer as “probably the most intense” of his life. “But it was also urgently needed after a year that I personally couldn’t be happy with at all, in which I fell far short of my expectations.”
A “very important and good” conversation with sports director Sebastian Kehl and club boss Hans-Joachim Watzke also opened his eyes. “Very appreciative and confidential. None of the content leaked out. Everyone gave their view of things and was as honest as possible. There couldn’t have been a much better conversation: always with respect, nobody minced their words, but at the same time we listened very carefully to each other. That’s why I took it all to heart and worked on it. In the end, it was up to me what I did with it. It took me a long time to understand that I wasn’t doing this for anyone else, but just for myself.” Süle self-critical: “I was the only one to blame for my situation last year.”
The Frankfurt native joined BVB from FC Bayern on a free transfer in 2022. While he played 3,107 minutes across all competitions in his first year, he played 2,022 last season. This put him well behind Nico Schlotterbeck (4,078) and Mats Hummels (2,932). His fluctuations in performance and his status were also reflected in his market value. After his move, this initially remained constant at €35 million, but fell three times in a row to €15 million – his lowest level since 2016 when he was at Hoffenheim. As a result, Süle, who still has a contract until 2026, has repeatedly been touted as a candidate for sale – also because he is said to be the top earner for the Black and Yellows with a reported salary of €12 million a year.
